“I was striving for a sense of place, the spirit of a Midwestern farm,” says architect Margaret McCurry of the Michigan getaway she designed for a Chicago couple. The master bath, paneled in wood, was inspired by the property’s tree-lined setting, which is showcased through dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows. Situated next to an indoor pool and a glass-block steam room, the space doubles as a shower and changing area for the family and their frequent guests. (June 2009)

Photo: Steve Hall/Hedrich Blessing

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Ralph and Ricky Lauren’s country house in Bedford, New York, celebrates classic English style with an American point of view. The couple’s stately master bathroom features a fireplace with an 18th-century mantelpiece, and a freestanding marble bathtub. The mirrored wall reflects views of the lush gardens. (November 2004)

Photo: Durston Saylor

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When designing an extension for a late-19th-century Greenwich home, architect Allan Greenberg and interior decorator Victoria Hagan wanted to create a space that was at once ultramodern and livable. The master bathroom is just that—a sleek yet inviting, marble-lined retreat. The design team created a sun-splashed room featuring walls painted a soft green and mirrored surfaces that reflect both light and views. (July 2010)

Photo: Michael Moran

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The New York City maisonette formerly owned by legendary interior designer Sister Parish was revamped by the decorator Mario Buatta for Patricia Altschul, a longtime client. Altschul explains of the redesign, “I told [Buatta] I wanted a little sparkle, not over the top, but lush, exotic—a glamorama.” The elegant new space features a dressing table with an ornate antique mirror and a tufted pink slipper chair. (February 2008)

Photo: Scott Frances

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Celebrated adman Donny Deutsch transformed a venerable limestone mansion on Manhattan’s Upper East Side into a sleek, contemporary space with the help of designers Tony Ingrao and Randy Kemper and architect Frederic Schwartz. Chic as can be, Deutsch’s master bath makes a minimalist statement with an overscale egg-shaped tub and a vintage ceiling fixture. (October 2011)

Photo: Nikolas Koenig

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Decorator Thomas Jayne was commissioned to restore a circa-1865 townhouse in Philadelphia’s Center City to its former glory, though this bath, painted decades ago to resemble a tent, actually required little effort. Lined with marble and accented with a pair of antique Chinese garden stools, the space adds whimsical flair to the historic house. (July 2011)

Photo: Pieter Estersohn

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For a client in Japan, architect Kengo Kuma created a guest bath clad in wooden slats and with a striking window wall that lends the feeling of a tree house. The rectangular tub and basin are made of hiba wood and are offset by a sculptural stool. (October 2010)

Photo: Robert McLeod

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When it came to building a new home for their extended family, Don and Rela Gleason, Napa residents, wanted something relaxed yet stylish. Designed by Rela, an interior decorator, and architect Bobby McAlpine, the master bath is airy and open, with soaring ceilings and a rustic concrete-title floor. Modern elements mix happily with heirloom antiques; the concrete soaking tub overlooks an enclosed private terrace. (November 2011)

Photo: Roger Davies

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Designer John Barman understands the transformative power of even a small renovation. To take advantage of all the extraordinary ocean views at his apartment in Miami Beach, he ripped out the false ceiling in the bathroom and installed dramatic double-height windows. (September 2010)

Photo: Dan Forer

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In this 300-year-old summer retreat reinvented by architect James Cavagnari for himself and his wife, designer Erin Quiros, the bathroom is anything but ordinary. The space features a freestanding tub, snow-white plaster walls, and a rustic beamed ceiling; the French doors frame a stunning view of the Sicilian coast. (January 2005)

Photo: Scott Frances

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Architect Antoine Predock emphasized crisp lines and angles in the bathroom of a Colorado mountain home. Overlooking a grove of aspens, Predock’s design, composed of teak casework and a maple ceiling, is a rustic oasis with a modern sensibility. The contemporary space celebrates luxe wood surfaces with exquisite dovetail construction, sleek fixtures and fittings, and a blissful forest view. (October 2007)

Photo: Robert Reck

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Combining natural materials and abundant light, architect and designer Lee F. Mindel of Shelton, Mindel & Assoc. created a tranquil environment for the master bathroom of his Southampton, New York, beach house, using surfaces that reflected the abundant light. “The pattern of the marble mimics the shadow of branches on the building, and the glazed floor reflects views of the water and trees,” says Mindel. (June 2007)

Photo: Michael Moran

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Envisioning a house where “every window would be a picture,” Robert and Alexandra Norse commissioned architect Jack Lionel Warner and designer Barbara Barry to build their home in Montecito, California. In the master bath, the tub is installed between a pair of stately walnut shelving units, which display ceramics and provide easy access to stacked towels while framing the extraordinary mountain views. (May 2005)

Photo: Mary E. Nichols

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“So much of design is knowing when to add and when to take away,” designer Victoria Hagan says. “The fun of it is to find the right balance.” Utilizing clean lines and the symmetry of matching sinks, mirrors, and sconces, Hagan’s bright-white design for a Nantucket master bathroom is in perfect harmony. (October 2005)

Photo: Scott Frances

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Designer John Cottrell and architect Gil Schafer teamed to build a poolhouse in the Connecticut countryside that has the feeling of an 18th-century interior. “The project was about taking historical ideas and adapting them to a contemporary way of living,” says Schafer. The exposed wooden beams and limestone tub in the master bath merge modern function with old-world sensibility. (August 2011)